


Astraphobia

by kristsune



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Astraphobia, M/M, Modern AU, Multi, Tup and Dogma are bffs, fight me about it, fives and echo are so married even if they aren't technically married, genderfluid!tup, of some sort, this started from a little prompt and started to get out of hand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-13 02:14:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9101824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristsune/pseuds/kristsune
Summary: Echo and Fives have a new roommate, Fives falls hard and fast. Literally no one is surprised, except maybe Tup.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to just be a little prompt from [here](http://kristsune.tumblr.com/post/155011557954/hairlikehisblush-bed-sharing-aus-bc-who-doesnt) but then back story wanted to happen. Aaaand now I kind of totally love this. Whoops. Thanks to [Jesse](http://thebisexualmandalorian.tumblr.com/) for urging me on and credit for the end exchange between Echo and Fives.

Fives and Echo were enjoying their new apartment. They were mostly unpacked, having moved in with a nice guy who had just lost his last roommates, Dogma and Slick. They had wanted to have their own space together. 

Unfortunately Fives and Echo did not have that luxury. They needed another roommate to afford living in the city. Echo was trying to finish grad school and couldn’t work, and Fives couldn’t afford anything fancy on a bartender’s tips. Fives was good, but not _that_ good. 

The guy they moved in with, Tup, was quiet but pleasant. Had helped them move in the week previous, carrying just as much as Fives and Echo. Fives had an instant crush.

There was one day earlier in the week that Tup walked into the common room in a sundress.

“Wow, you’re _gorgeous_.” Fives blurted out. Tup stopped and stared, blush spreading across his cheeks.

“FIves, please. Manners.” Echo chided.

“What?! He is!” Fives turned to Tup, “Wait, is ‘he’ okay?”

Tup nodded, with a smile, “Yeah. Thanks for asking.”

“Of course. And you really are.” Fives felt the need to reiterate.

Tup tried to hide his deepening smile by tipping his head down, which resulted in having to brush his hair behind his ear. “Thank you. Umm. I-I gotta go. I’ll see you later.” 

“You are just going to scare him off Fiv’ika. Let him come to us if he wants anything.” Echo commented after Tup left, without looking up from his school work. 

“I couldn’t help it! He really is!” Fives tried to defend himself, but couldn’t do a very good job if Echo wouldn’t even look at his puppy dog eyes. 

Fives slumped in the seat across from him, “Fine, I’ll let him come to us.”

\-------

Fives and Echo were curled together in bed, Echo was asleep, but Fives was still awake, he could never fall asleep right after work. A storm had rolled in, luckily starting just _after_ Fives got home. Fives enjoyed the sound of the rain pouring down and the thunder crash overhead.

Fives sat up when he heard the door open, ready to protect Echo, but he recognized the hair. 

“Tup?” He looked wretched, he was shaking, and breathing heavily. 

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know where-” Tup flinched as thunder crashed, “Dogma usually helped me- I’m sorry, I’ll just-” Tup started to turn away.

“Don’t go.” Fives turned to Echo, and lightly shook his shoulder, “Babe, wake up.” 

Echo turned over, took in the situation, “Astraphobic?”

Tup nodded. Echo scooched over against the wall, and opened his arms. Tup looked at Fives and back at Echo, like he was unsure, when another peal of thunder sent Tup right into Echo’s arms. 

Echo curled around Tup’s back running his hand through through his hair, while Tup held onto Fives like he was drowning. 

Fives shushed him quietly, “It’s okay, you’re okay. We won’t let anything hurt you.” 

Tup’s breathing was starting to calm down, but he was still shaking like a leaf. Fives couldn’t stand it. He started to hum quietly, to distract Tup from the noise outside. Fives wasn’t sure if it was the sound, or the vibration, but soon Tup started to relax, and eventually fell asleep.

Fives was able to pull his head back and look at him, he was doing much better than when he first walked into the room. “Babe?” Fives whispered, “Can we keep him?” 

Fives could practically hear Echo’s eyes roll, “You can’t just adopt him without his permission.” After a beat of silence, Fives felt Echo cuddle a little closer to Tup who sighed happily, “Yes, we can keep him.” 

Fives smiled and pulled them both close, glad that Tup had felt comfortable enough to come to them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tup's pov for the same events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After writing the first part, I kind of got writing Tup's POV stuck in my head, and it ended up twice as long as the first chapter.. whoops.  
> Anyway, please enjoy sweet, shy Tup.  
> Shout out to [ wolveria ](https://wolveria.tumblr.com/) who actually has astraphobia and helped me with some of the feelings that Tup went through.  
> Also, Tup's dress can be seen [ here! ](http://image.dhgate.com/0x0/f2/albu/g1/M00/AB/B8/rBVaGVWeC1uAHFr7AAKSZK7bH9o686.jpg) Thanks to Jesse for helping me pick it out.

Tup was a bit nervous about his new roommates. Dogma was his best friend, and him and Slick had been his roommates for a long time.

He understood that they wanted a place of their own. He got it, he really did, but having two strangers, who didn’t know of any of his weird quirks was nerve wracking.

Tup met Fives and Echo on the day they moved in. Tup felt useless just watching them bring boxes in, so he seamlessly added himself to the unloading of the truck.

Slick always accused Tup of being slight, but he could carry just as much as either of the other two. Tup had to hide in his room after they had finished, because Fives wouldn’t stop smiling at him. Tup almost tripped on the stairs multiple times due to it. It was such a lovely smile, so bright.

A few days later, Tup walked into the common room and stopped dead when he saw Fives and Echo. He had not expected them to still be there. He was wearing his new dress that Dogma had given him. It was a lovely white, yellow, and black floral with a black belt. He loved it, but he was always nervous when people he actually knew saw him in a dress for the first time. It was usually so awkward. No one knew how to react. He was hoping he could put it off for a while. Dealing with odd looks, and comments behind his back was not something he was looking forward to.

“Wow. You’re _gorgeous_.” Fives sounded completely sincere.

Tup could feel his his cheeks heating up. He had never had this kind of reaction before. Dogma always complimented him, but it was not the same.

Tup only half heard Echo scold Fives, which was something he seemed to do often, though Tup could always hear the fondness in his voice.

And _then_ Fives asked him about his pronouns. Tup had to look away, because _no one_ asked about his pronouns. Even if he was okay with he/him, it was just _so_ _nice_ to have someone actually be concerned, and ask him what he prefered.

He could feel the blush spreading towards his ears. He needed to get out of there fast before they noticed how watery his eyes were.

\-------

Tup had been getting ready for bed when he heard it. That first distant rumble of thunder that signaled a bad storm.

 _No no no no no no no_.

This couldn’t be happening. Tup hadn’t heard of any storm warnings. He had no time to get to Dogma. He couldn’t get caught outside in the middle of it.

Speaking of the mother hen, his phone lit up just then with a text from his best friend.

**Ma: Hey Tup’ika, I just heard the thunder. Are you okay?**

**no definitely not. what am i going to do? >**

**Ma: You said your new roommates are pretty good. Fives especially. Just, go to them. Ask for help.**

**i cant do that!! they barely know me!1 they are just oging to think im strange**

  **Ma: They really aren’t. Just go. Please? I hate to think of you alone in your bed with a pillow over your ears.**

The rain had started in earnest and the bright flashes of lightning were getting closer. Tup could feel his pulse spike and he started sweating. He couldn’t catch his breath. Tup almost dropped his phone when thunder pealed overhead.

**Fine.**

**Ma: Good. It will be okay, I promise.**

Tup didn’t believe him, but he really couldn’t do this alone.

He hesitated in front of their door when another crash of thunder prompted him to open it. The defensive pose Fives immediately took over Echo’s body reminded Tup of how little he knew about them. He felt terrible about interrupting them. He didn’t need to bother them with his ridiculous fears.

Tup was about to turn around and suffer alone, when he heard Fives call his name with such curiosity. He couldn’t just walk away without an explanation.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know where-” Tup flinched at the crash of thunder overhead. It was just so loud. He felt like he was vibrating out of his skin, “Dogma usually helped me- I’m sorry, I’ll just-” Tup couldn’t stand it anymore, the look on Fives’ face. He started to turn around to hide in his room forever.

“Don’t go.” Fives interrupted him. He didn’t mean it as a command, but it felt like one. Tup was rooted to the spot as Fives woke Echo up.

Echo looked at him with a sleepy but understanding expression, “Astraphobic?”

Tup was floored, usually he was met with confused faces, or outright scorn when people found out about his phobia. Like he was weak because the sound of the world crashing down around him freaked him out. Echo took it all in, and in a single moment he _understood_.

When Echo opened his arms Tup looked at him and Fives, couldn’t believe this was real, that these two wonderful people were so open and understanding. When the thunder pealed directly overhead he practically leapt into Echo’s arms.

When Echo pulled him close to his chest Tup felt two things simultaneously; the tightness in his chest eased immediately, and his legs encountered nothing on Echo’s lower third. Echo didn’t have any legs. That explained Fives’ defensive posture a bit more. Echo must have either never had them, or lost them long ago, because he was so natural with his prosthetics. He must have had a lot of time with them.

Tup was brought out of his musing with another crash of thunder. Echo was brushing back his hair and it felt so nice. It was really helping him steady his breathing. He was timing his breaths with Echo’s movements.

He couldn’t stop the shaking though, he fisted his hands into Fives shirt around his back to try and get the tremor in his hands to stop. It was not terribly successful.

Fives was trying to soothe him with soft words, and it was helping a little, but he could tell Fives really didn’t know what to say.

Then Fives did something that even Dogma had never tried. He started to hum. Not only did the sound distract from the thunder, but the vibration radiating from Fives’ chest was so comforting.

He couldn’t restrain himself from getting as close to that as he could. With his ear pressed against Fives’ chest, it completely blocked out the sound of the storm. It made it feel like he wasn’t going to die, like he was _safe_.

Just as Tup was falling asleep, which was a miracle in itself, he heard a hushed conversation between Fives and Echo.

“Babe?” Fives whispered, “Can we keep him?”

Keep who?, Tup thought. Certainly not him. He was too strange, with too many weird quirks for anyone to want.

“You can’t just adopt him without his permission.” They really would want to keep him? Make him part of their lives? Tup found he was too sleepy for his mouth to work, so he just snuggled closer to Echo, who whispered, “Yes, we can keep him.”  

  
Yes, Tup was very glad he decided to come to them.

**Author's Note:**

> Also, just an FYI, I absolutely got the idea of writing Tup's POV for this. Keep an eye out for a chapter 2!!


End file.
